Tag Archives: awards program

BetterBNC’s Outstanding Customer Support

At BetterBNC, our mission is to help all of our users enjoy a successful contest experience. A lot goes into that – intuitive design, great features, and robust capability.  But there’s one particular feature that turns out to be one of the strongest components of the BetterBNC®  contest platform – our tech support.

At BetterBNC, Tech Support is not an add-on; it is not an additional charge; and it is not available for just a couple of hours in the day. Our Tech Support team is available to help contest administrators, contestants and judges if and when they need it and all support for the year is included in the base price.

TroubleTicket_redThe team is eager to help contest users with their experience.  It’s easy to contact them – the platform user simply submits a Trouble Ticket which is automatically forwarded to Tech Support. Tech team members monitor user inquiries seven days a week, early until late. Additionally, questions submitted are reviewed by BetterBNC to determine whether platform changes are needed to address the issue for all users.

Contact us if you have any questions or would like to take a look at the platform and consider it for your contest.

BetterBNC & PayPal Integration

BetterBNC offers a powerful integration between its Revenue Manager module and PayPal Advanced accounts. This integration has a number of benefits for contests including the ability for contestants to make credit card entry payments without ever leaving the organization’s contest webpage and the auto-recording of PayPal payments in the contest admin tables and reports.

When you sign up for PayPal Advanced for BetterBNC, you are also introduced to a dedicated senior account manager at PayPal. Your PayPal account manager knows BetterBNC and understands the types of transactions you will be engaging in so setup and integration is fast and easy. PayPal charges $5/month for its Advanced account and that fee can be suspended during times when your contest is inactive. Contests interested in taking advantage of this integration should let us know a week prior to contest launch for setup.

For contests preferring to receive entry fees from contestants by check or via its own payment cart, Revenue Manager can help track these payment types. If you have any questions, just let us know.

What people say about BetterBNC

One of the great benefits of our comprehensive support program is that our customers are comfortable contacting us and sharing details about their experience.  That open line of communication has allowed us to not only strengthen our relationships with customers but also get a real feel for the user experience and how it can be enhanced in the future.

This week we had great feedback from two of our contests – the first is a high school journalism awards program. Its administrator said, “I am still pleased with how logical this system is to administrate. Thanks.”  And from a newspaper association contest admin, “Wyoming is our swap out state this year, and they wanted me to be sure to pass along how much they love using your site!”

We always appreciate customer feedback so continue to share details about your online contest.  And if you are with an organization shopping for an online platform, contact us to schedule a complimentary demo. We’ll show you, not only the features of the platform, but you’ll see what it’s actually like to navigate for the contest administrator, judges and contestants.

BetterBNC is currently being used by nearly 200 organizations across the country. We have contests of all shapes and sizes so contact us today to see if BetterBNC can improve your contest experience.

Create Your Own Branded Contest Homepage

CBAwebpage400With BetterBNC, contest admins can quickly and easily create a branded homepage which has all of your contest information. There’s no additional charge for the customizable web page and it’s easy to set up.

In your General Contest Info. section simply click on “Allow Customizable Homepage”, “Submit” and “Design Settings.” Then you’re ready to start building. Choose from pre-made easy templates or build your own using the web-builder tool or your own HTML.  Load images, logos, adjust colors, add text and hyperlinks. Once your page is built, simply distribute that URL to your contest participants.

It’s an easy way to have all of your contest information in one place and be sure to use the Marketing Manager feature (also included in the base price) to send reminders and other messages to judges and contestants.

Here are some samples of contests that have created their customized homepage:

>TN AP Broadcasters & Media Editors
>NW Excellence in Journalism Contest
>Golden ARC Awards
>MNA College Better Newspaper Contest

If you have any questions or would like more information, just let us know by completing a trouble ticket.  If you’re interested in switching your contest to BetterBNC, just email us to schedule a complimentary demo – karen@smalltownpapers.com.

An easy switch to BetterBNC

As 2015 wraps up, many organizations are thinking ahead and planning for their 2016 media contest.  We are currently working with several organizations that are switching to BetterBNC from other platforms and most all have asked if there is anything they can do in advance to make it an easy switch and save some time.

BetterBNC keeps it straightforward but there are a couple of things you can do to speed up the process.

  1. Know the structure of your contest.
    We’ll have you fill out a template that we use to build the contest but know the structure ahead of time.  How many categories? Are there divisions? You’ll want to know the names/titles of each?
  2. Understand how the judging process works.
    Some contests have one judge per entry while others have a panel or multiple judges reviewing entries.  Understanding the judging structure will help determine whether you will need a judging module.
  3. Assemble your team.
    Have the contest administrator on board and anyone who will be working with them.  Once the template is submitted, you are able to schedule a training session at your convenience so you’re ready to go as soon as the contest is turned over to you.

BetterBNC builds the contest for your organization and when it’s turned over to you, you’re able to go in and simply make any changes you need from the original template you submitted.  You can also build your customized and hosted contest homepage which comes at no additional cost.  And remember, with BetterBNC, all training and support for the year is included in your base price.  We’re here to help when you need it.

Check out BetterBNC today.  Schedule a demo and see how your contest can be even better in 2016. Email karen@smalltownpapers.com to get started.

The BetterBNC Difference for Your Contest

Thank you for helping make 2015 the most outstanding year yet at BetterBNC! We’ve welcomed more than a dozen new contests in recent months including 3 Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) chapters, 7 National Council for Marketing & PR (NCMPR) chapters, a new high school press association and the first National Association of Black Journalists chapter. Additionally, we are busy processing renewals for upcoming 2016 contests. It’s an exciting time at BetterBNC.

All of us at BetterBNC wish you a warm and wonderful holiday season. We appreciate your partnering with BetterBNC to create the very best journalism, creative and PR contest experience for everyone involved in your awards program.

The BetterBNC Difference
We’re often asked by organizations looking to move to BetterBNC, what the main difference is between BetterBNC and other contest platforms. Built and designed specifically for journalism, creative and PR awards programs, BetterBNC offers the most features and benefits important to the media trades.  Our comprehensive, on-demand contest administrator training and support program sets us apart from all others. Unlimited support for contest administrators, judges and contestants is included in your base price – there is never a limit on the support you receive with your contract and you never receive a bill at the end of the year for support.

>>Click here to read what our customers say.
>>Click here to read our December newsletter.

BetterBNC is completely independent of any trade association or political organization and has no external agenda.
We are committed to fairness, transparency and security,
and we work only for you.

The easiest way to contact previous contestants.

emailYou’re gearing up for your next journalism, creative or PR contest and you’re drafting your communications announcing the competition.  Time to download the email addresses of last year’s participants so they can receive your Call for Entries and other announcements.  Perhaps you have a new contest admin so this is all taking a bit of time.  You find yourself saying “there must be an easier way.”

BetterBNC now has a Marketing Manager feature that allows your contest admin to easily email previous contest participants right from the admin dashboard.  You can quickly and easily send all of them an announcement about the upcoming contest.

The Marketing Manager feature allows you to create an email template or draft a new email.  You can contact contestants or judges.  It’s an easy way to reach everyone with announcements, reminders and even thank you email.

If you haven’t taken advantage of the Marketing Manager, let us know and we’ll sent you the easy guide or we can walk you through.  Remember, with BetterBNC, all of your training and support for the year is included with your renewal.

Important Info. for BetterBNC Customers

We’re excited about the upcoming contest season – the largest yet for BetterBNC as we continue to welcome new organizations to the platform thanks largely to your referrals. We have important reminders for you below and, as always, please contact us if you have any questions. We appreciate your choosing BetterBNC for your awards program!

Contest Renewals
Thanks to those of you who have completed your contest renewals and sent in the information required. If you haven’t yet completed your renewal, send it in today. If you have questions, please contact Karen@smalltownpapers.com or PaulJ@smalltownpapers.com and they can assist you.

Are you new to BetterBNC?
If this is your first year with BetterBNC, help us ensure your contest is ready to go when the Call for Entries goes out. If you haven’t already, please complete and return your template as soon as possible.

BetterBNC Website Refresh
We’ve had a fantastic response to the BetterBNC website refresh launched this summer. If you haven’t yet checked it out, visit www.betterbnc.com today.  If you use BetterBNC screenshots in your contest instructions or other promotional material, you’ll want to capture the updated shots. If you need assistance, please contact the head of our tech team Cody France (Cody@smalltownpapers.com) You may have noticed the new Admin Overview Chart available in “Entries.” Admins could always examine an overview of entries, but now we’ve added a great new overview tool for entries made by Open Call contestants. It’s already in your Admin/Entries window – simply click to reveal.

Easy Download of Winning Entries
We’ve seen a dramatic surge in the use of Entry Asset Manager. Contest admins are discovering the value in having all the attachments for winning entries downloaded in one highly organized zip file. If you retain your winning entries on your own server, or want to create a powerpoint visual presentation for your awards ceremony, Entry Asset Manager can increase your efficiency by gathering all assets on one place for instant download. If you would like to add the Entry Asset Manager module to your contest, contact us today.

Use Marketing Manager to Email Judges & Contestants
Contest administrators are enjoying the Marketing Manager feature which allows you to conveniently email judges and contestants right from the dashboard. Use this feature to:

  • Create & save Campaign Email Templates
  • Send Campaigns to target audiences
  • Fully format typeface and fonts
  • Include your logos, graphics and images
  • Monitor progress of Sent, Received, Opened and Bounced

There are six different types of campaign emails to choose from and you can create a template to use in the future or create emails when you’re ready to send. Be sure to remind your members and participants to add email.smalltownpapers.com to their “safe senders” list to ensure contest email lands in their inbox. Marketing Manager makes communicating with your contestants and judges more productive and is included in the price of your renewal.

Build Your Customized Homepage Today
One of our most popular new features is the customized homepage which allows you to easily create a branded contest homepage.
From the administrator dashboard, simply click “Design Settings” to start building your own page.

Customer Q&A
Q: Why doesn’t the platform allow large PDF files to be entered?
A: You may have noticed BetterBNC’s 20mb file size limit for entries. The reason we don’t permit larger files to be uploaded is simply because it takes longer to download which creates a more cumbersome process for your judges, particularly if they have standard DSL. Customers are encouraged to limit file sizes to 5mb or less or opt to use an online e-publishing platform such as Issuu, VuDu or RealView. When contestants make entries using the e-publishing option, they enter the URL web address of the document rather than uploading. Judges are able to easily view and evaluate the entry.

Do you have a question for BetterBNC? Email Karen Tarica at karen@smalltownpapers.com.

4 Easy Steps to Getting Started with BetterBNC

Whether your contest is currently run manually or you’re using a different online platform, moving to BetterBNC is fast and easy.  Just a couple of steps and you’re ready to go.

  1. Contact BetterBNC to schedule a complimentary demo so you can see the platform at work from the perspectives of the contest admin, judges and contestants.
  2. Review your BetterBNC proposal which will include any modules or other features you may need.  Remember that all training and support for the year is included in your base price!
  3. Once you approve and return your signed proposal, you will complete an Excel template which guides the BetterBNC team building your contest.
  4. Once your template has been completed, the team will start building your contest and you can schedule training at your convenience.

For most of our customers, the contest can be built in just a couple of weeks.  When your admin logs into the contest, everything is there and ready to go but they can complete tasks such as making any changes, entering members/judges, creating a customized contest homepage, and more. The BetterBNC support team is always available if they have any questions or need help, and there’s never an additional charge for support.

The platform is overwhelmingly preferred by contest judges who, after using BetterBNC to judge contests, consistently recommend that their own media organizations make the switch to BetterBNC.  Contestants also enjoy the ease of entering awards programs using the platform saying it is saving them time and energy.

BetterBNC has been designed specifically for journalism, creative and public relations awards program and we’re committed the success of your contest.  Give us a call if you’d like to take a look at the platform and see how it can make your contest even BETTER!

Make the switch to an easier and less stressful contest platform!

BetterBNC has been delighted to welcome several new contests to the platform this summer most of which have switched to BetterBNC from other platforms that they found to be too cumbersome, difficult to use and expensive.

The #1 Selling Point for BetterBNC
Our new contests have indicated that they appreciate that BetterBNC’s base price includes all training and support for the year.  There is no bill at the end of the year for support calls or training sessions.  And, support is provided each day, from early until late, out of our Washington state offices. There’s no waiting days for a response to your questions.

Time Saved with Marketing Manager
Customers love that they can email judges and contestants right from the administrator dashboard.  It saves time and energy sending reminders and thank you notes.  There are several different email campaigns that can be launched and you can always monitor which emails have been opened or bounced. This feature was launched in 2015 and is included in the base price or with your renewal.

Your Contest Webpage
We also receive great reviews on our Customized Homepage feature which allows an organization to quickly and easily create its own customized contest homepage hosted on BetterBNC.com.  You can provide all of your contest information right there along with the log in button so judges and contestants can get started.  Like Marketing Manager, this feature comes at no additional charge.

Want a BETTER contest experience?  Check out BetterBNC today and see why so many journalism, creative and public relations contests are making the switch.